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 TAMPA, Fla. - The Ball State University football team fell 37-7 to 22nd ranked South Florida Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium.
The game marked the second straight contest in a National Football League stadium for the Cardinals, who defeated Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., in the season opener.
Ball State started the game off with a fumble on the opening kick. South Florida safety Mark Joyce returned it 17 yards for a touchdown, and the 22nd-ranked Bulls maintained an advantage for the remainder of the contest.
"There is no question when you play a team of this quality, you want to get off with a good start," Ball State first-year head coach Pete Lembo said. "The turnovers are a part of football, and they are tough to overcome against a team like South Florida. They were a very good opponent, and we did not help ourselves in a game where we had very little margin for error."
Ball State managed to hold USF to a 31-yard field goal on its next possession and with 8:03 remaining in the first quarter the Bulls owned a 10-0 advantage.
With 4:15 on the clock in the first quarter, Jason Pinkston recorded his first interception of the season and eighth of his career, but the Cardinals were unable to convert on the turnover.
The Cardinals held the Bulls to a 24-yard field goal at the start of the second quarter, making the score 13-0. USF then scored a touchdown at the 9:34 mark after a 2-yard run from Demitris Murray. South Florida scored two more times before the half with a field goal and a touchdown to make it a 30-0 cushion.
One of the BSU bright spots of the first half came when Joel Cox blocked USF's field goal attempt right before intermission. The blocked field goal was the first for the Cardinals since Oct. 10, 2009, against Temple.
USF scored in the third quarter off of a 1-yard run by running back Darrell Scott increasing its lead to 37-0.
Running back Jahwan Edwards put the Cardinals on the scoreboard for the first time in the game when he scored the first touchdown of his career. Edwards tallied on a 13-yard run at the 13:13 mark of the fourth quarter.
Josh Howard recorded his second interception of his career at the 6:19 mark of the fourth quarter, but the Cardinals were unable to capitalize on the turnover.
Ball State will face its first Mid-American Conference opponent at home Saturday when it hosts Buffalo at Scheumann Stadium (7 p.m. kickoff).
Courtesy of Ball State Athletics |
